Record 11 rounds for spellers in The Big Spell

OVERCOMING a spelling list that included words like “macchiato”, “stymie” and “emissary”, was what pupils at this year’s RHB-The Straits Times National Spelling Cham­pionship needed to do for a spot in the grand final.

The zonal round on Saturday was a test of stamina as much as skill, especially in the south, where spellers had to go through a record 11 gruelling rounds before the finalists from the zone emerged.